~A New Year - Focus~

It's been almost 2 years since I've posted here.  So much has changed in my life, but the one thing that hasn't changed is the need to create.  Creative hands and minds never sit idle...but they need to re-charge and re-group.  My journey has brought me back here- where I started sharing my work back in 2009.  Social media is out of control in 2014!  So many places to read, get inspired, chat, message, etc....

How do I stay focused?  This year I started by immersing myself back where the inspiration began- my favorite bloggers.  Peaking into their studios, soaking in all the visual images, reading the tutorials, reading their tweets, following their Instagram....

My next post will be new work...YES!  New work!  Designs I haven't shared in far too long.  I hope you bare with me as I begin this process again.  I need to stay focused in the studio and resist the urge to check feed every 15 minutes!  My other recent distraction....

....This "polar vortex" we're struggling through.  People and machines can't possibly function in this extreme cold.  Even my dog doesn't want to step outside!  This storm has literally changed lives.  I will return soon with more ramblings and images that I hope will inspire you.

Happy 2014!

New in Leather Wrap Bracelets in shop.....

Just a quick shop update....I added few new leather wrap bracelets in my Etsy shop today. I didn't take the time to photograph all of them.....

...so if you want a certain color/stone combo and don't see it email me. If I don't have it in stock I can make it for you!

Well- off to the beach. I hope you all enjoy your long weekend!

Treasury Time

Weekends are busy for Etsy Treasuries! I wanted to share a few of my favorites that include my work. Always honored to be included in these curated collections!

Irish Eyes are Smiling

by DiVaRoCks- features all things Irish green, including my Vintage Applique Leaf Pillow.

Looking for Robins

by whiteoakroom- beautifully serene in shades of my absolute favorite color! I LOVE the enameled necklace by tekaandzoe. Thanks for including my pillow!

We do color well....

by VintageRerun is an explosion of color featuring Cleveanders- including my Tiny Silver Lovebird Earrings.

Take some time to look at these Treasuries & all the wonderful handmade finds.

Tiny Lovebird Earrings

Can you tell I'm ready for Spring? I just added a few pairs of this new design to my Etsy shop. Tiny white gold plated lovebird earrings- each with a different gemstone bead.....

...peridot, lavender jade, red carnelian, and aventurine, with sterling silver

Really simple and sweet- I'm hoping to get more of these birds- stocking up for summer shows. I like that they're not very detailed, very organic looking.

That's what I have to share today.

XOXOXO

Signs of Spring...

Signs of Spring?..... I'm searching! More snow? Ugh!

I can't get enough of robin's egg blue. A few of my favorites to inspire my day! Off to work!

Linen Birdhouses....

I made these 2 linen birdhouses last summer to hang in a show booth. I was envisioning a bunch hanging from the tent roof- I thought they would be a real attention getter. Well, time didn't allow for it and since then my puppy ate the red one and the other one was given as a gift....

I have 6 or more all cut & ready to sew. This is the year I finish all my unfinished projects! The world really needs fabric birdhouses- right?

Hopefully in the next month my new Linen Birdhouses will selling in my Etsy shop!

Do you have any unfinished projects to share??

...more Petite Vintage Fabric Birdhouses....

I've had some time to clean my studio over the past week & found a few of my Petite Vintage Fabric Birdhouses. For the past 2 springs I made these in a limited edition & sold them in my Etsy shop.

They are a bit self-indulgent- VERY time consuming to make. They only stand a bout 4" tall, and like so many things I make, people ask "what do you do with it?"

This past spring I told myself I wasn't making any more- but after looking at these this morning I decided I'll make them again this spring.

So come March expect to see a dozen or so on my little birdhouses- all made from scraps from old quilts, mixed with bits of vintage lace, buttons, millinery leaves, etc....

Well I'm off to make a mini art quilt. I just stumbled upon a great tutorial on Jenny Doh's blog Crescendoh- a garden of button flowers. More on that hopefully tomorrow!

Being Thankful

It's that time of year again to reflect on all I have to be thankful for. I have only one word- Family. These are the people with whom I have been blessed, and I'm thankful for them every day. I hope you all share a peaceful feast with your family tomorrow.....

As I said in my previous post, I won't be blogging much in the next few weeks. I need to focus on sewing & getting ready for upcoming holiday shows. This a new little bird design I'm using for little pillows and little bags.....

Of course I have many, many new leather wrap bracelets. Since most of these are one-of-a-kind, there's no way I can photo and list each one in my Etsy shop. I will try to list a selection of color & styles......

I dug deep in my stash of vintage fabrics and have a new little clutch style bag I'm selling this year. They are all in various stages of completion- hopefully later in the week I can photo a few....

I hope you all survive the airport scanners, Uncle You-know-who's terrible jokes, and Black Friday shopping and remember to be thankful!

What I've been working on....

Here's a little peak of what I've been working on the past week. Some of my new vintage fabric leaf pillows are in my Etsy shop and some are getting ready for Buttermilk Hill.

The brown pillow is made from a new fabric collection- Moda I think? The other 3 are made from vintage 40's feedsack cotton and other vintage fabrics. I love making these- it satisfies the quilter in me and the recycler- no scrap goes in the trash in my studio!

More later!

Vintage Venetian Glass Birdcage Necklaces

New in my shop- the limited addition Vintage Venetian Glass Birdcage Necklaces. The little antique glass birds were made in Venice, on the island of Mirano. These same birds were used to make those really expensive Venetian necklaces.

Tucked safely inside a vintage brass "bird cage", each adorned with amazonite, quartz, peridot, and Korean jade. I'll only be making a handful of these- my little stash of birds is running low. (if anyone out there has more to sell let me know!)

More later on my upcoming holiday show schedule. Can you believe the holidays are creeping up! I've been working away trying to make sure I have enough to sell at 4 big shows this season. More later- I hope you like my little love birds!

What I'm working on.....

I just realized tonight that it's been awhile since I blogged. My show last weekend was a success. I would have liked a little more traffic- but this is an odd selling season. The Cleveland Handmade group is a really wonderful group of people! I met some great artists and am sure I'll do this show next year. Shows take so much out of me though- not so much the actual show- smiling, talking about my work, shlepping displays, making sure my presentation looks great. It's the preparation- new ideas, new product, pricing, display- it's all so important. Am I making something people want to buy? Is this self-indulgent?

Sometimes I feel so comfortable here behind my computer that to step out and interface with clients face to face I always question myself. I don't know why....

Here are a few new pillows I made- vintage 40's quilt fabrics appliqued on linen (the 1st photo is from a new fabric collection) I really love to make these- it satisfies the quilter in me- without having to commit to months of time. (My mother is an amazing quilter with the patience to HAND quilt her pieces. HAND quilt!) These are all new in my Etsy shop.

I hope I'm not too rambling... more later about some new ventures I'm working on..

Have a wonderful weekend!

Peace.

"tweet"

I couldn't resist sharing this adorable Etsy Treasury- a collection of bird themed crafts curated by myartstuduio. Titled "Tweet"- one of my Vintage Applique Bird Cage Pillows is included in this cheerful group. This is just a snapshot- you can see the entire list here.

I'm always flattered to be among such talent- thanks myartstudio!

I have some new applique pillow designs to share this week. I'm working on a cat series, some dogs, and smaller house pillows. A LOT going on & and upcoming shows- more tomorrow! Time to get ready for the first day of school. YAAAAY!

Fabric Birdhouses

Just what everyone needs- a fabric birdhouse- right? Not the most practical thing I ever made (what my husband told me). They're made entirely of fabric- linen house with fabric roofs, and dresden plate fronts.

I had intended to make a half dozen or so to hang in my booth at Summer Market, but it took me awhile to figure out the construction, and I thought I should focus my efforts on more salable items for the show. With all that behind me, I'll finish these houses before I move on.

Wouldn't they look cute hanging in a nursery? They stand about 8" tall, and each will have an invisible line for hanging. I'll photo the rest when they're done. Maybe they'll make it to my Etsy shop- I don't know yet.

new linen pillows....

Summer Market was a great success this past weekend! After a few days off I'm finally getting around to listing new linen pillows in my Etsy shop. I just listed more of my little Linen Applique Bird pillows in new colors. A lot of people bought these for baby nurseries.....

Starry Night- linen applique house pillow has a pretty sprinkling of "stars" in the background.

Lastly, a few applique leaf pillows. All my linen pillows use recycled vintage fabric- mostly 1940's quilt and feed sack prints.

I'm done with 2 fabric birdhouses that have been in the works for awhile- more on that tomorrow!

artful birds

This beautiful "artful birds" mosaic was created by one of my favorite artists Rebecca Sower. I've been following her blog and creative endeavors for a few years- so you can imagine my excitement when I discovered my linen bird bag in her mosaic. rebecca sower's weblog is an inspiring must read. If you love vintage textiles and details then you'll love her work. You can see the entire mosaic here with artist's info.

Thanks Rebecca!

...a few new pillows...

I have this thing for vintage fabric. I almost never buy new fabric- why should I when there's so much vintage fabric out there just waiting for a new life? I decided to use some of my stash, along with a few recent flea market finds.....

These new pillows are in my Etsy shop- the big Peonies & Birds....

Big Poppies.....

..and this fun Mod Leaf print.

More tomorrow!

The Last of the Pin Cushion Rings...

I made the very last batch of my pin cushion rings- made from hand-felted wool balls and little vintage enamel stickpins. Very cute and very useful!

I bought a whole bunch of these little vintage stickpins years ago not knowing what to do with them- they were pennies a piece. (I went through my ebay phase where I bought anything unusual and vintage I could find!) I tried to get more & saw similar pins on ebay for $5 a piece! I think they look right at home perched on their rings- just waiting a new home.

These are all listed in my sister-shop (not my sister's shop!) www.junebugz.etsy.com. Everything in my Junebugz shop is under $20- check it out!

More tomorrow!

...a few new bracelets...

I've been hanging on to these vintage glass "man in the moon" beads for awhile. They've been hanging over my table for a few years- inspiring me. I used a few in some new leather wrap bracelets- all designed to wrap around your wrist 3 times...

I love the soothing colors in this one- sea blue & pale blue quartz with turquoise accent the glass "man in the moon" bead perfectly. You can find it here in my Etsy shop.

I don't use alot of purple in my work, but I love these vintage glass flowers mixed with amethyst, Korean jade, and tiny seed beads with a vintage train token. You can find it here. The purple and green are very striking together I think....

This last bracelet features a vintage religious medal- with carnelian, quartz, and vintage glass beads. You can find this one here.

More tomorrow!

More Leather Beaded Bracelets

I just finished a new series of leather & vintage bead bracelets...designed to wrap around your wrist 3 times. Mostly one-of-a-kind, I use vintage religious medals, antique lace, and my new "Evil Eyes" (lower left).

I'm starting to make some of these a bit simpler, without the brass studs. Not all will make it to my Etsy shop~ but you can find these here.

I'll be back in a few days. With the school year winding down I have a lot to catch up on at home. AND my garden! I can't wait to dig in the dirt again!

Little Vintage Patchwork Bags

I think I might be obsessed with vintage quilts. I have so many of these vintage quilt squares I have to start using them. I blogged about these last month- I started making them to stock up for summer shows.....

Each one has a different front and back pattern, with cotton crochet lace trim, a hidden magnet closure, and a vintage button.

I use mine as a camera bag- or when I only need to carry a few things.

My niece uses hers to carry little toys around- for only $12 you can get a few.

I listed a few here, here, here, and here in my Etsy shop.

I'll be back Fri. with my birdhouses.